All foreign nationals must have a working permit for employment in Switzerland. Permits are normally granted to multinationals for executives transferred to Switzerland. Before entering the country, a foreigner intending to work in Switzerland must have a permit or an order called "assurance of an authorisation to sojourn". Residence permits for year-round stays are normally issued for one year only, but annual extensions are usually granted on application. After a certain period of residence, depending on the country of origin, a foreign national will be granted a permanent resident permit, which confers almost the same legal status as that of a Swiss citizen, but without political rights and military duties. As a result of the recently negotiated bilateral agreements between Switzerland and the EU, the nationals of the EU will be able to obtain work permit through a simple application process. In addition, nationals of the EU will have the possibility to live nearby in France and to work and pay taxes in Switzerland by obtaining a frontier work permit. |